Spring door catch



Get 20, 1931. e. s. COOPER SPRING DOOR CATCH Filed July 18, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

ct. 20, 1931. G. s. COOPER SPRING DOOR CATCH Filed July 18, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lh l ' object when unsubjected to a correcting force.

Patented Oct. 20, 1931 GEORGE ooornn, or rnovrnnivca, Rnonri xsrann ,srnine nooajcarcii Amman filed J'uly isg aaag This invention relates to spring door catches andhas for its chief ob ect to pro- 'duce a highly efficient and satisfactory catch 1 which will automatically adapt itself to shrinking'or swelling of the door, or frame, or both, to which the catch maybe applied, whereby changing weather conditions will not impair its proper functioning. -To this end the "catch, which comprises cooperating members, one of which is provided with a pair of resilientjaws and :is preferably carried by a fixed frame member, and the other member comprising a nosing element which may be thrust between the jaws and be held yielda'bly thereby, and preferably carried by the door, is so constructed that the two members may properly cooperate even though they may on 7 initial contact be relatively displaced laterally off their normal path of catching and releasing movementw'Thusthe two members are soconstructedthat initial engagement between them, even when these are considerably?" displaced laterally" "from normal, tends to produce a;relativecorrecting movement,- so' that when the door is fully closed, they are in normal fully engaged POSl-V tion. At least one of the member's 'isfso mountedthat it may bemoved ineithefrof p 7 illustrate the catch members in their preferred form. One of these catch members, shown detached in Figure 1, comprises a plate 1 having springfinger portions? partially severed from opposite ends thereof, each spring finger port-ion, as shown,'being pro-, vided with a hole 3 adjacent to its free end opposite directions by the other to'efiect such correction, but it has a'tendencyto-resun'ie a normal position relative to its supporting At least one of themembers, therefore, may be spring supported so as to yield laterally in either of opposite directions when contacted eccentrically by the other a'nd'sd as p 7 to be moved into normal"catching position 'For a more complete understanding of as the door approaches closed position.

this invention, reference be had to the accompanying drawmgs,1n which I Figure 1 shows in perspective one construction 6f one of the Cooperatin membersjof catch; 7 2,

Figure '2' is a perspective, illustrating the manner in which the construction of; Figure lmaybe formed.

-Figure 3 is fragmentary section showing thefcatch as appl-ied' to a door and its cas- "ing, the door being shown as slightly, open, 5

1 catch member shown in respectively. p v

Figure 13 is a section on line 13l3 of Figure 14, showing a further modification. 1

Figure "14 is an elevation ofthe device Serial no, 233,684.

iFigure T 4' a Figure 5 is a view simi ar to Figure .3,but

' showing in fulllines the'relative positions of closed.

nosing member shaped to cooperate with the igures 1- and"? to 15.

similar-"view showing the "door closed.

parts when such a door is more nearly Figure 7 is an elevation showing a different form of j aw;mem ber; V

' Fi ures is a-section'online 8+8 of Figure7. Figures 9 to 12 are views inpairs similar to Figures ,and" 8 respectively, but showing further modifications, Figures lOand 12 bemg sections taken on the correspondingly marked section lines on Figures 9 and '11,

shown'inFigure 13. i f

Figure '15 isa section-similar to Figure 13 but showing" still another modification.

Referring to the drawings, Figures 1 to 5 to receive a screw o r other suitable fastening means bywhich it may be fixed in position.

Between the fingers 2 the plate 1 is partially "severed to form a central tongue 4 and'an intermediate looped tongue 5. The tongue 4-isbent to'form a hump portion 6 about midway of its length, being inclined downwardly at and having its free end'portion upwardly turned at 8! The loop tongue 5 is shown as substantially flatexcept at its forward end, which is downwardly turned I at 9. This catch'member may be'cut-from'a single plate body oftheplatefand having a substantially of'spring metal, being slotted at 12 topartially separate the finger members 2 from the 7 prises a nosing, which as shown inF-i'gures 3;

4 and 5 ma. com rise a sin le stri of s I'lIl The cooperating member of the metal doubled on itself; the end portions being provided with perforationsto receive attaching screws 22 the intermediate loop port-ion being bent at substantially-"- right angles to the ends as at 23 and formed'atits outer end where the metal is folded with an enlarged head 25: This bead presents a roundediedge' forengagement'with the spring JEEWS land 9 and the; ends of these spring jaws are curved away from each other so that they act to oenter-thebead25 should it: strike somewhat eccentrically.

them in the closing movementv of the door The spring fingers 2 "support the: j aw members spacedfrom the" incmberto which the jaws are attached, herein shown asa door cas- 1ng member ;and permit the awstoyiel'd toward and from thead acent face of the niember 30' so astoiconformto theposition of tlienosinggmember' when the door is" closed. Ais shownthenosing member is fixed tolthedoor 31 i The nosingmember may bemade stiffer-by forming it as shown in Flgure 6,'in=wh1chone end portion-of the strip is shown as flat at v 85 to bear firmly against the door fand is then bent outwardly atlright anglestheref-rom as 7 36. The other end portioniof the, nosing inwardly ofthe bead87 engagestheyportion 36 fora limited extent as :at 38xand thenis bent away 'therefi"onr to form a, stiffening strut3'9; which extends to the portion 40 overlying the portion-35. V The portions-"4O and 35, are fixed together bythe attaching screws which fix the nosingto the' dbora Thus a i very stiff construction is provided WillCllftQB ds to resist displacementof its bead portion 37.

In: normal position i of the nosing; andjaw members, thepath of movement of the head portion 25 (or '37 in?the'constructionof' Fig- 'ure 6) is in a-linement with the spacebetween the'jaws as showndnFiguresfiand' 4;;ISO that,

- the spring fingers 2; are-substantially unflexed during-the closing: an d opening: move fments of thedoor. Whemihowevenfthe door swellsso: that the nosing member is: brought closer to-t-heface of the casing member 3O,

thebead portion '25 strikes thetorward end of the jaw member 9, causiing'the spring fingers 2 to: be flexedixse as to-permit the nosing to centerfbetween the jaws, this being shown in Figure Thus the; jaw members are" moved the end portions of the jaws.

-portion'65 aslat67'. r

automatically into proper alinement with the nosing even though the initial contact between the members is out of proper alinement; Similarly should the door shrink from its normal position, the nosing. will strike the curved end of the jaw member 4, whereupon the springfingers=2 will flex. sufliciently to permitt the jaw member to properly-engage with the nosing member.

1 The jaw members may be variously constructed, certainconstructions other than that shown in Figures 1 to'5 being shown in Figures 7 to 14. For example, in Figures 7 and 8,4the plate isicut to form integral'spring supporting fingers 51 and one jaw member 52, the other" jaw member 53vbeing formed as a separate piece which is fixedzto therear portionof-the'pl'ate 50 inianysuitable way as by spot welding or-rivetingjrat 5431f In? Figures 9 and 10,- thes'pringsupport for the awscomprises a-singl'estripelement which 'is-shown .asmade'wider at its forwardendyas. at 61, to; receive attaching screws-or other means 62ioni-opposite sidesrof is shown as raisedup slightly from the level of its supporting; portion immediately back thereof asat 63to-form a free; spring portion audit is their bent forwardly as; atGL, its

forward endwbeing brought over its attaching end-portion and lformingone-ofthe j aw -members" as at 65." The other jaw member 66-is shown as formed as a separatepiece, which is riveted or otherwise attaohed'to the other j aw Instead; of forming .t e springsupporting portionssor-that they are attachedadjacent to-thefree ends of the j aws,ithey.may be attachedmarwardly thereof, a sucha construction being, shown in Figures 11 to 14:. In.

Figures l-l-and l-2 a strip70 is shown as bent downwardly as at? 1- adjacentto its rear end and thenlstraight rearwardl-y as at 725where it is providedlwith perforations or slots to receiverthe-attaohing screws or other fasteners 73. The forward portion. of thisstrip is slit asat 74toform a pair of spring jaw which-,1 as shown is bent to form the other or upper--jaw-= member. a 7' In Figures 13 and 1 thespringgstrip is formed at its rearendsimilarly to'the strip 70 of Figures 11 and-12 but itsentire forward end is shaped tozformlone ofthejaw-members as the-lowerjaw member 81,,and the othemjawmember-isformed as a separate piece as 82 fixed to the jaw member 81,; as by 'rivets 83,:byfspot, welding or other suitable means. i

In Figure 15 a San furthermodification is shown in which therjawmembers are spring supported'by being attachedito the rear endiof therspring rfingerflfi); asiby means of the rivets This: strip 60 i "members- 7 5,1 which together form, one of'the V jaw members, herein shown as the lower member; and ani-ntermediate:jawmember 76,1 M v member-engaging portion, this spring ele- 91 and the jaw members themselves are shown as formed of separate resilient strips 92 and 93 fixed together as at 94.

In each of the constructions shown it will 5 be noted that the jaw members will becar-- ried by the spring fingers normally spaced from the supports by which they are carried so that the jaws can yield laterally in either of opposite directions, opposite ends of the w supporting spring fingers being for this purpose normally in different planes. 1

In all of the constructions illustrated, it will be seen that one of the engaging members has a spring element for carrying its oppositement being offset from the path of relative movement of the members and fixedly secured beyond the offset portion sufliciently remote from the opposite-member-engaging portion 2 to act as a resilient lever of substantial length lying in the general direction of the spring jaws and permitting bodily deflection of this portion toward and from the plane of securement of the element. This lever may be con- 2 tinuous' in one general direction as in the form shown in Figures 11,12, 13 and 14 or it may be turned back on itself either in the same or a different plane as shown in Figures 1to10and15. k

4. A door catch comprising a pair of separable members movable relatively in a patch into and out of engaging relation, one

of said members being attachable to a door.

and the other attachable to the casing for said door, one of said members comprising a pair of spaced aws between which the other of said members may engage and a leaf spring supporting both jaws at one end, the other end'of said leaf spring being offset and fixed, said spring presenting a resilient portion of substantial length substantially parallel to. said path, whereby said jaws may be signature. I

GEORGE S. COOPER.

In all of these constructions therefore the jaws are movable as .a unit into alinement with the nosing when the nosing is, brought into engagement with either of the jaws. p Having thus described certain embodiments of this invention, it should be evident to those skilled in the art that variouschanges and modifications maybe made therein without departing from its spirit or scope as defined by the appended claims.

Iclaim:

'1. A catch member comprising a plate having partly severed end portions forming spring supporting fingers fixed at the severed ends, the intermediate portion of said plate being severed to form a pair of spring jaws V spaced to have a mating catch member snapped therebetween.

2. A catch member comprising a plate hav ing partly severed end portions forming spring supporting fingers fixed at the severed ends, the intermediate portion of saidplate being' severed to form a pair of spring jaws spaced to have a mating catch member snapped therebetween, said fingers and jaws being cut from the same sideportion'of said plate.

3. A catch member comprising a pair'of spring jaws fixed together at one end and shaped to receive and retain between them a 60 mating member pushed therebetween from the other free end, and a leaf spring fixed at one end and carrying said jaws at their fixed 1 ends at the other end, said leaf-spring having its fixed endadjacent to the free ends of said i 6 jaws.

moved as a unit transverse to said path in 1 either direction from a normal position to 

